Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I would also welcome a debate on the NRA and road safety as raised by Senator Brian Hayes. If we have such a debate we should particularly consider what needs to be done to make trucks safe on our roads. While I do not make any comment on the drivers themselves, the prospects of having a fatality or very serious injury are far greater for a person involved in an accident with a truck. Two recent cases involved people being killed by trucks travelling at very slow speeds. One involved a very elderly person who walked in front of a truck at traffic lights. The truck driver did not see the person, who was killed. One of the witnesses at the inquest into the accident referred to the need for legislation to require additional mirrors on trucks to prevent such accidents in the future.

I ask the Leader to bring the Minister for Education and Science to the House to debate the right to education. I very much welcome the establishment of a body called Education Is Not For Sale, a coalition of teaching unions, students and other education experts. This body has highlighted the effective cut in third level funding evidenced in the recent Estimates, following on cuts made in the previous two years. This has resulted in the sector being very hard pressed in carrying out its duty to educate our young people.

I notice a report in today's newspapers about the Minister for Education and Science establishing a new statutory body, Education Ireland, to help attract overseas students here. The Minister is reported as saying that the international educational services sector was one of the fastest growing business sectors in the world. I would like the Minister to outline to us what she is doing to ensure that our education system is not a business commodity, rather is a right for people from all sectors of society and at all levels.